*** The 2011 Gym Rats Thread ***

Status
Not open for further replies.
Freefaller said:
I think it was called Fitspace - by the Lidl. Was rammed until about 730 then it emptied out. A lot of the equipment (weights) have seen better days, but there's lots of kit. I've been staying in Charlton the past 6 weeks and whilst my gym is in Dulwich - it's not that convenient. There's a gym around Greenwich/Lewisham called Lucky's gym which looks like a great "gym rat" gym - so will check that out too.
Click to expand...

Cool. I've been looking around for other gyms which will have better (and more) equipment. The gym I use at the moment (a FitnessFirst) isn't bad because the manager has an interest in body-building, so he has kept the weights in good supply. He left a few months ago, and the new guy is more interested in your stereo-type lunch-hour members who just want to run/cycle for 45mins before going back to the office and may be sacrificing some of the weights to make room. :(

I've seen this place but it genuinely makes me scared in a "they won't let me leave until I'm broken" way :p http://muscleworksgym.co.uk/
 
Last edited:
I'm required to do a fitness test in December. Usually it is in the form of an outdoor run or an indoor beep test which is usually fine but this time it's on a treadmill and to be honest I hate the dam things; they cause me a throbbing pain down my Tibialis Anterior and across what I presume to be my Inferior Extensor Retinaculum, much like what is described as shin splints. I guess this is due to the way the treadmill makes me run and the impact my feet have against the belt.

There is no way around the test, I must do it on the treadmill and I must pass this test if I have any intention of serious career progression. As well as simply running on the treadmill regularly, how else can I strengthen these areas of my legs?
 
Strange session for me tonight. Had to squat 165K for 5x5 and thought it would be a piece of **** but struggled with every rep of every set. Felt fine when I got to the gym and feel fine now so I don't know what happened. Then had to bench up to 135K for 5 reps which I was worried about failing before I'd even squatted and destroyed it :o
 
Gym was ******* packed. So many groups of 3 or 4 meaning it's impossible to work in and then just a huge amount of people in general. Had to wait for like 5 minutes between each equipment change and do chest flys on a bench which knackers my elbow. :mad: Oh and then the guy who grunts and screams the house down, guess what hes benching 45kg on the smith machine what the ****. every single person in the gym is laughing at the moron.

:mad::mad::mad:
 
Dj_Jestar said:
I've seen this place but it genuinely makes me scared in a "they won't let me leave until I'm broken" way :p http://muscleworksgym.co.uk/
Click to expand...

I've been there for a few sessions but decided to go for fitness first instead as it was an extra 30minutes a day on commuting which was rubbish.
It's an old warehouse, not the cleanest place in the world but has a lot of equipment, from many benches to those dead lift frame bars, massive chains, hardcore machines, etc etc. And probably a few tonnes of weights as well.

A lot of steroid meatheads but a few skinny folks as well. Male only gym, not the place you would go for conversation. However I didn't feel uncomfortable in any way, people let you mind your own business and all that.
 
More like the place you'd go on a Saturday casually rather than after work when you want to be able to put your suit on a hanger and not worry about creasing it in the locker (they are tiny) and sharing showers that are way too close to each other.
 
Cristian said:
More like the place you'd go on a Saturday casually rather than after work when you want to be able to put your suit on a hanger and not worry about creasing it in the locker (they are tiny) and sharing showers that are way too close to each other.
Click to expand...

Yeah I get what you're saying. I have a gym that I can go to (for free) which offers me exactly that sort of "real" gym feel. :) However, for a one off £5 is good value 4-5x a month it's not too bad really.
 
Well a little update from me, slowly getting back into my training. Have been doing a lot more HIIT recently as it's a lot easier to do without any weights, and am enjoying the leaner me - look a LOT less bulky. However, still holding onto a decent shape but have lost nearly 4 inches around my waist, 33.5" at the moment compared to the 37ish I was before. However chest / back still holding around 45-46 so the taper is looking more pronounced. I've lost a good inch around the legs and 1/2" or so around arms and so on.

Despite all these "losses" my power:weight is still good, I have lost some strength, but bear in mind that I've lost around a stone so really my ratio is about the same.

Why have I gone down this route? It wasn't intentional, life is dynamic and changes and I've had to adapt to the changes. Don't get me wrong, I'm intending on getting 1/2 stone back on, but staying lean lean lean. It'll take me about a year or so to achieve, though I'm hoping to get some small amount of bulk back, but I'm actually enjoying being a bit more mobile and less bulky :eek:

Thing is, I've done it, I've got huge, I've lifted massive weights - I know I can do it. However I've accepted that with work/life at the moment I just can't keep it up and I don't want to get fat. I'm still swotting up on it, and keeping in the loop, and still loving the gym. I want to maintain what I've got, but pushing myself to achieve more than I ever have is just not conducive to a happy life at the moment. Give me a few years I'll probably just go mad again and punch through PBs and get huge again :p

I'm glad to be back in the gym and just look forward to regaining some strength and just get back into a rhythm - I'm not gone, just a little leaner, but no meaner! :p
 
Impressive stuff as always FF, for me power:weight is the most impressive statistic.
Where I do asdmire massive guys lifting heavy, I'm more impressed by the guy who's weighing 75 kilos, benching nearly double his bodyweight.

In stead of cerating a new thread, I'd like to take my routine back to basics for 6 months and planning on doing a 5 x 5 stronglift routine. Is anyone here doing it at the moment? If so, would you like to share yours?
 
kai said:
Sunday i have an appointment with a sports nutritionist in helping me improve my diet and ways i can tweak my intake alongside my training in coming from the transition of a cutting diet into a lean bulk (trying) to maintain as much definition as possible.

Prior to the meeting I have to record everything I eat down to measuring everything so he has an exact idea of what going into my body. At the moment the following list does not contain (1calorie spray use to cook and water – everything else is included. I think I’m going to get torn a new one! When he sees how low my calorie intake is for the following day by day.

capturesng.jpg

capture2jpg.jpg
Click to expand...



I thought i would give you an update based on my appointment. So, basically he was fairly impressed with my diet and knowledge and could only make a few slight tweaks and changes.

Firstly we discussed times and how I felt within myself as it was just as important to eat at the correct times as much as the food itself; the only tweak made was to adding half a slice of brown wholemeal bread with peanut butter at between lunch and pre work out, this would give me the energy I am craving in the gym because I feel a little weak at the moment.

The biggest change was a recommendation of a supplement to be taken in the morning and post work out alongside my protein shakes. Dymatize Nutrition Super Amino (liquid) this stuff is rank!

He explained how the amino’s where the build blocks and I would gain more energy and start to see increase in size which is what I am after, while staining lean. Also I now use some flax seed in porridge during my morning meal.

For anyone who is starting out and real does want to make changes quickly or really wanting to make the transition into eating correctly not just turning up at the gym and lifting weights I highly recommend going along to see qualified sports nutritionist. I wish I had known some of the stuff we discussed 2 years ago, instead of reading around endless magazines, forums, and websites to gain this information.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom